Biking: The Bajaj-KTM Alliance is a win-win

KTM and Bajaj alliance has done well for both the companies and led them from a mediocre position to rule the European road.

The KTM RC 250 and KTM RC 390 will be manufactured in India at Bajaj's Chakan facility in order to keep the pricing aggressive and get a grip of the market against competition.

The conglomerate now is the topmost motorcycle producing house in Europe. The plan adopted by both the companies was crystal clear about the technology KTM will use to produce high volumes of small capacity street bikes at the Bajaj's Chakan facility and sell them at an affordable price. The intelligent game-plan worked and the companies now are crowned with the top most positioning in a flash, riding on KTM technology.

Now, Bajaj is trying the same in India; first, it aimed to conquer the naked market and the Duke Series has achieved that and more for the company. When it shifts gears, eyeing the muscle market, the battle will be fought with the launch of two new bikes christened, KTM RC250 and RC390.

The full faired muscle bikes which will be launched simultaneously in the year 2014 will be unveiled this year at the upcoming EICMA Motor Show hosted in Milan in November. The full faired market is where the Indian heart lies.

When researched about the motorbiking preferences of Indian customers, the company found that the bikers are more inclined towards full faired bikes than naked bikes with more performance and handling.

Note: Images are used only for representational purpose. KTM RC 390 is based on Duke 390. RC 250 will be a completely new model but some of its specifications match with those in KTM RC8.

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Both the KTM RC 250 and KTM RC 390 will be manufactured in India, at Bajaj's Chakan facility in order to keep the pricing aggressive and take on the competition. Having sold 800 units of the Duke 200 series bike, the company knew that the platform of Duke 200 was perfect for building the new 250cc KTM RC250.

However, the company as of now, does not have any 250cc engine and will be spawning a new 250cc engine whose specifications still remain a bit sketchy but is likely to produce 28 bhp.

For RC 390, the 373.2cc engine will come from the Duke 390 which is capable of producing 38bhp.

Note: the images of Duke 390 on which RC 390 is based. So sending 2 images of this model. RC 250 will be a completely new model. Some of its specifications match with those in KTM RC8. 

When it comes to designing, both the bikes will be based on their counterparts with full faired body parts. The KTM RC Series model 390 is based on Duke 390 and the 250 model will be based on Duke 200.

The Duke 390 is aggressive, flamboyant and compact and the same attributes can be seen with the RC390 only with a bit more muscle weight. The RC 390 is exclusively developed for the new "ADAC Junior Cup", which will be introduced at the 2013 MotoGP in Germany at the Sachsenring racing circuit.

At first glance KTM RC 390's design does not capture the mind but the designing is such that it will slowly and gradually grow on you.

The RC390 comes with the same trellis frame, 150 section rear tyre, WP suspension and has the RC8 inspired design that is akin to another KTM super roller, the Duke 1290.

The tank is a visible-clip on and is suited for the race tracks that need good handling. The RC 390 is again ergonomically put on diet with super thin seats, vanished tail piece and disappeared headlights; however, what has gone on board is aluminum/titanium Akraprovic exhaust.

The features that have gone missing, have reduced the weight by a whopping 9 kgs. Full tank capacity will be reduced by 1.5 litres and ABS is also said to be gone. The seat height has been reduced by 50mm for ease and tall windscreen, fairing panels and the huge engine belly fairing.

RC 250, the muscle version of the Duke 200, will come with the same hard core KTM philosophy. The hard and fast attitude displayed by the Duke 200 will be continued. The specifications details are still missing as the engine is yet to be developed. The no frill attached counterpart of RC 200 has won the market with it's unique blend of character and technicality and we expect the same thing with the RC 250. 

As for the pricing, the KTM RC 390 will be priced Rs 35,000 more and will likely be tagged at Rs 2.4 lakh (ex-showroom) whereas the KTM RC 250 R bike will be a little downgraded and may be priced at an enchanting Rs 1.5 lakh.

With full fair and price hike, the KTM RC series will be riding on the same muscularity of the KTM's Duke series and are surely to be pocket-rockets of future.